Brian Mayer

Research Interests

Brian Mayer’s research interests focus on the social production of environmental health risks and the contestations that emerge around environmental problems in the areas of science, policy, and medicine. His work in environmental sociology has examined the role of community activism and participation in the identification and management of potential environmental health risks. Recent research projects include a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funded project to examine the long-term psychosocial and community health impacts of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an investigation of the use of community-based science in social movement organizations, and a project funded by the National Science Foundation to explore the interactions of labor and environmental social movement organizations in the United States. Through his qualitative research methodology, Dr. Mayer often makes use of community-based participatory research to engage local stakeholders in the research process.